Invention relates to a new and improved container and more particularly to a blow molded bottle, or container, and including either narrow or wide mouths for receiving or dispensing product, the container having outer walls and an inner wall for providing at least two compartments separate from each other and each being capable of containing various liquids, solids and/or gases for purposes that will be hereinafter explained in further detail.
Bottles or containers having a plurality of compartments are known in the prior art. Probably the best known of these devices is the one referred to as a vacuum bottle which was introduced with the trademark name of xe2x80x9cThermos(copyright) (brand) bottlexe2x80x9d. Such bottles or containers were, and are, well known for keeping beverages or food products, such as thin liquids including but not limited to water, tea, coffee and the like, or thicker liquids such as soups, stews and the like, either hot or cold, by providing a vacuum within the outer one of the two compartments to thereby facilitate regulation of the temperature of product within the inner container by restricting heat transfer either to or from the inner compartment, so that cold products remain cold and hot products remain hot for reasonable periods of time.
The present invention provides a novel product comprised of a bottle, or similar type of container, having at least a double walled body portion which provides a container having inner and outer compartments adapted for the following objects and uses of the invention:
1. The outside compartment can contain a pressured fluid for forcing fluid product out from the inner compartment through a dispenser, such as a valve dispenser.
2. The novel container is useful for containing and dispensing products such as, for example, toothpaste, sauces, seasonings, food toppings, decorative material, beverages, gels, aerosols, and a wide range of similar products.
3. The inner and outer compartments may contain different types of segregated fluids, pastes, and the like, that need to be mixed just prior to use such as, for example, multi-component epoxy resins, glues, adhesives and hardeners. Provision can be made to allow combining separated materials to be combined and mixed within the container by rupturing the inner wall prior to the mixed product being dispensed from the container.
4. Keeping fluids cold by putting a fluid in the outer cavity and freezing, or cooling it to keep fluid in the central cavity cold, or cool.
5. Keeping liquids hot, in a similar fashion, such as by microwave heating of liquid in the outer cavity to heat fluid in the inner cavity.
6. Putting a moisture scavenger/desiccant in the outer compartment for reducing moisture entry into the inner compartment.
7. Putting an oxygen scavenger and an inert gas, such as nitrogen, in the outer compartment to reduce ingress of oxygen into the inner compartment.
8. Putting chemicals, etc., in the outer compartment so that diffusion of similar products from the inside to the outside is reduced if the concentration of the chemical in the outer compartment is equal to that of the concentration in the inner compartment; diffusion from the inner to the outer compartment will only occur when the chemicals in the outer compartment start to diffuse outwardly. Thus, this will result in a reduction of the chemical concentration loss of the inner compartment.
9. In the case of hot fills and heat setting, hot fluids, with or without pressure, can be introduced into one or both compartments.
10. The side walls of the inner compartment can be made very thin and allow for collapse during emptying of the inner container. The walls may also be a barrier material or a multilayer laminate.
11. The outside layer may be very thin and can be a barrier material, and may likewise be multilayered.
12. Either, or both, walls can be a barrier, or multilayered laminates.
13. The inside walls may be fashioned with ribs (similar to the Supa base inventions), thus providing rigidity and allowing the average thickness of the walls to be reduced in thickness.
14. The bottom of the outer wall can be formed to be self-supporting as taught by my issued U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,400,911; or 5,611,988; and made from a preform in accord with 5,792,563 to provide a stable supporting surface.